The Summer Of Broken Stories

The summer of broken stories opened up beautifully, with detailed description that painted a picture of a childhood which would be quite unfamiliar to children of today. This was deftly written in the voice of the child and I enjoyed a degree of nostalgia, particularly the descriptions of imaginative play and freedom to explore the outdoors, that was characteristic of post war Britain.
Unfortunately, I didn't believe in many of the adult characters, although I found the family dynamic interestingly tense. There were so many varied themes that weren't explored in depth that I never became invested enough in the characters or themes to care. The use of 'the brain' as a vehicle for Aubrey's writing felt weak and lacking in originality. I didn't really feel as if the ideas regarding the dangers of technology were explored satisfactorily. I merely experienced it as the author's personal mistrust of modernity rather than a thoughtful exploration of what is potentially a very intriguing theme.

I try not to judge a book by its cover, however, this one looked nostalgic and twee. I'm afraid it didn't prove otherwise.

Here's the blurb about this book from the publisher:

"England, 1950s. While out playing in the woods, ten-year-old Mark meets a man living in an old railway carriage. Despite his wild appearance, the stranger, who introduces himself as Aubrey Hillyard, is captivating — an irreverent outsider who is shunned by Mark’s fellow villagers, and a writer to boot. Aubrey encourages Mark to tell stories about his own make-believe world, and in return he informs the boy about a novel he is writing — a work of ominous science fiction.

As the meddling villagers plot to drive Aubrey out, Mark finds himself caught between two worlds yet convinced that he must help Aubrey prevail at any cost."

The opening of this novel is excellent. It perfectly captures the feeling of being a child in summer, with the expanse of your neighbourhood a boundless playground and source of adventure. It echoes the tone of Stephen King's Stand By Me but, unfortunately, didn't maintain the pace and heart of that classic short story.

I felt Wilson was trying to do too much with this book. He had various sub-plots running through this novel that, in my opinion, diluted it. Aubrey, for example, harbours a secret about his identity (which I won't give away), purports conspiracy theories about The Brain conditioning people to conform, and there are some sinister undertones about his relationship with Mark. Wilson suggests a lot but doesn't always take each sub-plot to a satisfying conclusion, leaving a murkiness that took away the impact of the tale.

Wilson's writing style is good. He conjures up the essence of a 1950s English summer with aplomb, and the strained relationship between Mark and his father is delivered with a nuanced sensitivity that provides the emotional heart/turmoil of the piece. However, the novel lacks pace and I felt the middle section, in particular, needed a few more revelations or shocks to truly keep the reader engaged.

The ending was a little disappointing. Aubrey's true identity is revealed within the last quarter of the book so I had hoped the ending would unravel a subtle plot twist that I'd not picked up on. It didn't.

Although I did enjoy this book, I felt it hadn't decided what it wanted to be: coming of age journey; conspiracy theory; or mystery? A tighter focus on any one of these would have provided a more compelling narrative.

(This book was provided to our book club by publisher, Alma Books.)